Well done, Ref Steph

The fastpaced final Group E match between Germany and Costa Rica at the Al Bayt Stadium on Thursday night was a tense affair and even got a bit physical Thankfully referee Stephanie Frappart was in command throughoutmdashnot overawed one bit by the historic occasionmdashas she became the first woman to referee a FIFA menrsquos World Cup matchFrappart also had assistant female referees Neuza Back and Karen Diaz for company on the sidelines but the pressure was clearly on her in the centre of the pitchAsst referee Diaz errsAs soon as the game began Diaz seemed to have erred when she didnrsquot raise her flag to award a corner to Germany though Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas appeared to have failed to keep the ball in play from a back pass German striker Thomas Mueller raised his arms in protest but a stern look from Frappart saw him calm down Mueller was at it again in the 41st minute upset with an offside call against him but again Frappart dealt with him firmlyThen as the clock went a little beyond 45 minutes Costa Ricarsquos Joel Cambell went down seeking a foul However refusing to get into an unnecessary discussion a streetsmart Frappart instead blew the final whistle indicating halftime Three Costa Rican players immediately surrounded her in protest but the French woman did not just stand her ground she even managed to convince them with her reasoning and they walked away peacefullyOn resumption Costa Rican forward Keysher Fuller kicked off the proceedings but Frappart wasnrsquot in position so she firmly ordered a restart Then things began heating up on the pitch as Costa Rica took a 21 lead and Germany equalised through Kai HavertzWhen Havertz went to pick up the ball from the Costa Rican goal for a quick restart as they needed more goals he was thwarted by Costa Rican defender Bryan Oviedao The two almost got into a scuffle before Frappart bravely stepped in and ended their pushing and shovingAlso Read Germany coach Hansi Flick insists on investing in youth after early exitSpoton decisionmakingLate in the match as the Germans continued their relentless attacks striker Serge Gnabry fell over in the Costa Rican box and the Germans immediately demanded a penalty However Frappart did not give in and replays later revealed she was spoton as Gnabry had fallen over without contact from the Costa Rican defender Finally with Germany leading 32 substitute striker Niclas Fullkrug claimed a goal but there was some uncertainty Following the right procedure Frappart immediately signalled for the VAR ran over to the sideline for a video check and returned to signal a goal The close contest witnessed just one yellow cardmdashto Costa Ricarsquos Oscar Duartemdashfor his rash 77th minute challenge as Frappart unwaveringly whistled her way into the record books in front of a mammoth 67054strong audienceAlso Read FIFA World Cup 2022 Aussie fans grounded with Argentina up nextCoach Suarez heaps praiseIt came as no surprise then when Costa Rican coach Luis Fernando Suarez lavishly praised Frappart who is also the first female referee to take charge of a Ligue 1 match and a menrsquos European fixture in 2019 followed by a UEFA Champions League match in 2020 ldquoThis is another step forward which speaks volumes of this woman of her commitment of doing things And especially in this sport which is a very sexist one Itrsquos very difficult to reach the point she has reachedrdquo said Suarez at the postmatch press conference